The GoUNESCO Manifesto- January to June 2018

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At GoUNESCO, we’ve always been pretty hands-on with the tasks we give our participants. The objective is simple; what we wish to achieve is the realization of archives that host a trove of cultural data. Every year, interns from all over the world join forces and collectively engage with their local culture to foster heightened awareness within themselves, and the masses.

Each month, tasks are handed out, and they all subscribe to a monthly theme. Our website morphs as the year passes to focus on different aspects of both intangible and tangible cultural heritage. Interns create and craft photo stories, interviews, and articles through a rigorous 6 month internship that immerses them into their own contexts.

We’d love for you to contribute too! If you’d like to submit photos, you can post them and tag us on social media. We’re active on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (@GoUNESCO). Written submissions can be made here.

Here’s what we have planned for GoUNESCO’s January to June 2018 round!

JANUARY- CULTURAL ROUTES

The hikers and travelers are the ones who will enjoy reading about and manifesting this theme. We’ll be traversing the frequently taken, cultural significant trade routes, pilgrimage routes, or even natural roads like the Rice Terraces of Philippines Cordilleras. We might even suggest that some of our interns take a train journey in their cultural equivalent of the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The Trans Siberian Railway.Image: yeowatzup on Flickr

The other aspect that we’ll cover here is the journey of lived experience through varied cultural lenses. We will be tracing one another’s cultural paths through food, dress, or maybe even rituals. Read some of our ‘Capturing Culture’ pieces from our previous yearly haunts here, and watch this space for more this month!

FEBRUARY- MUSEUM HERITAGE

Museums are spaces that have a soothing aura. The energy that history and art in its rawest form radiates is often associated with the Stendhal Syndrome, but we won’t be putting you in any compromising situations. A museum itinerary is always a must, and so is a photo story, if you want to have a good idea of what to expect at the local museum. Our interns will be diving into their local museums to scope out the highlights from art and history exhibits, and reporting it straight to us. Here’s a peak at the GoUNESCO archives for public spaces.

The New York MET Image: nou2mea4 on Flickr

MARCH- FOOD HERITAGE

Today’s technological implements allow us to present data in the coolest, most informative ways. The prevalence of phenomena like Food-Porn and ‘Tasty’ videos on your typical Instagram or Facebook feed is a striking example of how the digital format has gravitated towards feeding on our hunger. We want to take an ethnographic spin on this notion in March. We’ll be eating local fare, capturing it through design and photography, and implementing our March goals as a series of data visualizations that pretty much answer the ‘What to Eat and Why?’ of traveling. You can catch what the GoUNESCO interns did in their kitchens last time here.

Belgian Waffles Image: Iris Zuares on Flickr

APRIL- ADOPTED HERITAGE

By putting ourselves in another culture’s shoes, or conducting in-depth research about it, we often resonate with it in several ways that evoke empathy. In April, our writers will adopt heritage from both their own, and foreign cultures in order to understand the inevitable diversity that exists across the geoid we call the Earth. We’ll be sharing travel itineraries, as well as trivia about some obscure specimens of culture. Read last time’s highlights in the realm of Immigrant Heritage here.

An immigrant heritage art exhibit that turns into the American flag when viewed from the other side. Image: Chrissie64 on Flickr

MAY- LIVING HERITAGE OR INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

Culture and its figments that remain ingrained in history can either be tangible or intangible. When we look at cultural practices that have survived time, and become an inseparable unit within a cultural space, it is termed as living heritage or intangible heritage. In May, the objective is to look at aspects of culture such as craft, performance oral history and mythology in greater detail. We’ll also be executing the GoUNESConference, which has pretty much become a yearly ritual for us. You can check the highlights for last year’s Facebook Live Conference here.

Last time’s GoUNESConference featured speakers from the Untied States, The UK and India.Image: Era Namjoshi

JUNE- NATURAL HERITAGE

Certain pockets of nature often outlive time, and become associated with history, as well as spirituality. Sites like the myriad sacred groves and national parks across India, and others like botanical gardens often shed light on the connection between climate, the passage of time, and the evolution of the flora and fauna that thrive within a geographical area. We’ll be organizing our #Makeheritagefun events in tandem with our focus on Natural Heritage, so there’s sure to be a lot of green on our website. Check out how our interns went outdoors last time here.

The University of Oxford Botanical garden Image: Jo’s Days Out on Flickr

ABOUT US

GoUNESCO is a citizen led umbrella of initiatives that makes heritage more engaging.
The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this website do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
The owners of the website are responsible for the choice and the presentation of the facts contained in this website and for the opinions expressed therein, which are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.
The views, opinions, positions or strategies expressed by individuals authors and those providing comments on this website are theirs alone and not necessarily of GoUNESCO.